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Monthly Archives: November 2016

It’s almost the end of the year! I’m happy I got to journal the highlights of these past few months:

I’m realizing my pages don’t have to be perfect and I’m teaching myself to journal under the keyword of abundance. I’m going to be using more stickers and washi and art materials and I’m going to be using more pages. I have this fear of supplies running out but one thing I have learned is how the universe manages to provide and deliver, in ways that surprises me (not just in art but in life in general) 🙂

I was reading the beautiful book by the awesome Grace Bonney titled “In the Company of Women” and it got me feeling excited and inspired. It was such a bright and delightful read that it made me wonder why we didn’t have a similar book like this here, filled with empowered and inspiring Pinays.

Hi Gennalie! Tell us about yourself. What made you start journaling and when did you start?

Hey there! I’m Gennalie, but people know me as Gen for short. I’m a design student who loves stationery, journaling and drawing! I was an avid journal user as a kid, and I picked it up again last year as a way to sort out my mind. Last year I encountered the Hobonichi journal through an artist’s youtube and I was amazed by the simplicity and how flexible a journal could be used- so I bought one myself and it’s been history since.

What journal are you using right now? Do you have more than 1 for various purposes? Do you have any specific qualities you look for in a journal?

I’m currently using two journals – a Hobonichi Cousin (A5) and an A5 Leuchtturm1917 grid book. The Hobonichi is my daily journal where I write about random topics or recall about my day while the Leuchtturm1917 is my bullet journal, a rapid and customisable planning system. I like grids and good paper quality when it comes to journals. The grids help me align and centre the content on the page and good paper quality = more tools to use!

What can we find in your journal pages?

Tidbits about my life, stories, my days and adventures in both reality and fictional worlds. If I don’t have anything for an entry for the day, I draw something instead to fill the page! The Hobonichi is great in this sense with daily pages. In my bullet journal however you’ll find lists and to-dos I need to work on for the week, including assessments and stuff I need to follow up.

Can you share your journaling routine and journaling process? How often do you journal?

I like to journal at the end of the day, as a way to cool off and vent and to drop off all the stress. I normally sketch out something with my mechanical pencil first and ink with either a Sakura Micron Pen, a brush pen or my fountain pen. I then colour in using either my Mildliners or my ZIG Clean Color brush pens. I like to keep my pages as monochrome as possible!

For my bullet journal, I set up the weeks (and month if needed) spread on Sundays and I write down my daily to dos the night before or morning of the day. It’s simple enough to set aside twenty minutes or less to set things up!

What are your favorite brands for journaling and why? Do you have favorite stores for supplies?

Hobonichi for sure- the Tomoe river paper is a beauty and can withstand a lot of materials! It’s not too bulky as well and the covers allows you to carry additional stuff like stickers around! I also like the Leuchtturm1917, however the grid size is something I have to tolerate as I prefer the Hobonichi’s tiny grids. My favourite stores are Kinokuniya, which is a bookstore that also sells Japanese stationery, and Dymocks Stationery, where they sell popular western brands- Both can be found in the Sydney CBD!

What are your favorite journaling tools?

I absolutely love my Kakuno fountain pen, Sakura Microns and Zebra Mildliners. The latter two have been my tools since the beginning, and the first is a versatile, but great tool to work with! I also love the Sakura Gelly Rol White Gel Pen to touch up any additional details. Washi is also great to journal with- as it fills up the page easily with cute designs. I have a stash of washi in my drawer waiting to be used!

What’s the best thing about journaling that you wish everyone knew?

Journaling is a very therapeutic practice and is a great way to look back on how you’ve grown or developed. Writing down my concerns and issues really helps my psyche and it’s fun to see how I have dealt with situations. Journaling is also very inexpensive if you wish it to be- a lot of journal enthusiasts are also stationery enthusiasts which is why a lot of people have a lot of supplies. I used to journal with just a pencil and a cheap scrap notebook!

Any tips on how people can get started with journaling?

Stop worrying about getting things perfect or pretty and just start writing. No matter what, just write. I guarantee you that if you start writing for two minutes, you’ll fill up the page in no time. Journaling, like other arts and crafts is very subjective! There are so many types for you to explore- if one doesn’t work, just change it up!

What is inspiring you right now in your journaling journey?

Right now I’m in the midst of a gaming phase, and it’s motivating me to keep journaling and jotting down my adventures so I can remember little things in each game- Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Pokemon moon! Those little successes really brighten up my day. Also the community itself keeps my inspiration up high. There’s so many creative people out there it astounds me and excites me to see what others are up to with every page!

BONUS QUESTION:

If you’re restricted to journaling using only 2 tools, what would these 2 tools be and why?

This is one of the toughest questions I’ve had yet….. I’d probably go with my Pentel Fude Touch Brush Pen and either my ZIG Clean Color Brush Pens or my Sakura Koi watercolour palette (so I can work on my skills of course!). I love all my journaling tools so much, it’s too difficult to choose!

Thank you Gennalie! You can follow Gennalie via her instagram account: @genspens

Hi Sharon! Tell us about yourself. What made you start journaling and when did you start?Hi everyone! My name is Sharon and I’m a wedding photographer and calligrapher based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I started journaling in mid-2015 and I started mostly because of two reasons – I was very inspired by some journalers on Instagram and also because I had a lot of left over maps and ticket stubs from my trip to the US in 2014 and I was looking for something meaningful to do with all of it!

What journal are you using right now? Do you have more than 1 for various purposes? Do you have any specific qualities you look for in a journal?

I’m currently using a Midori journal with 3 inserts – a monthly schedule insert,
a blank insert (for art and daily journaling) and I’ve recently picked up a weekly insert that I’m using as an inspiration/thought-log. I’m really enjoying it!

I don’t really look for anything specific in a journal, but I can’t stop talking about how much I love the Midori system for its flexibility and customizability. One thing I love about it is it gives you so many options for inserts and there will always be one that suits your style of journaling. Also, a leather cover will pretty much last you forever unless you’re like me (a straying eye) and find yourself wanting to collect all the colours…

What can we find in your journal pages?

I mostly post photos of my journal pages on my Instagram account (@ronnycakes) but this year some of my pages have also been published in a Taiwanese journaling publication alongside some other fantastic journalers that I am a huge fan of – so it’s definitely been exciting!

Can you share your journaling routine and journaling process? How often do you journal?

I usually journal at night, after my day’s work has been done, and if I have no other work to do for the day. Or if I’m feeling a bit lethargic and bored I’ll pull out all my supplies and have a field day playing with them.

For a standard art page, I’ll start off with sketching and painting in my illustration and then fill in the rest of the entry with stamps, washi tapes etc afterwards. I usually think ahead to how I want to arrange my page and work from there. I used to journal almost on a daily basis but I think I got bitten by the lazy bug! Now I journal maybe 3 or 4 times a week and paint even less than that!

What are your favorite brands for journaling and why? Do you have favorite stores for supplies?I don’t have a particular brand that I favor, I buy things based on aesthetics. I like interesting and whimsy designs – for example the La Dolce Vita range of washi tapes are one of my favourites!
We’re quite fortunate in Malaysia to have many stationery shops that cater to journaling and some of my favourites have got to be Stickerrific (@stickerrific), Tabiyo Shop (@tabiyo_shop_) and Scrap’n’Crop (@scrapncrop).

That looking back on your journal gives you two things – a wonderful sense of accomplishment for all the pages that you’ve decorated, or done up (and for those who are like me – a sense of accomplishment for being able to stick to a hobby for this long!); and the incredible feeling of reading your past entries and remembering things that you’ve forgotten, or feelings that you’ve forgotten. I find that really meaningful.

Any tips on how people can get started with journaling?

Just start! Before I took the plunge I would flip through people’s journals and tell myself I could never do what they do, but when I started then I thought – wow this is quite fun and therapeutic after all. And I re-discovered my creative side after journaling – which I think everyone will too!

What is inspiring you right now in your journaling journey?I’m inspired by the whole journaling community as a whole – I’m constantly in awe with everyone’s journal layouts!

BONUS QUESTION:

If you’re restricted to journaling using only 2 tools, what would these 2 tools be and why?

Wow this is a REALLY hard one – I think I’ll have to go for my Pro Arte Sable Brushes and Holbein Portable Watercolour Set (customized by Stickerrific!).

I did it! I am happy to report that I was able to finish all 31 days of #inktober this year. 🙂

Left side was done October one, right side was done October 31. Some realizations after doing this challenge:

– I like drawing androgynous ladies, and ladies with wavy hair.
– I don’t really enjoy drawing full bodies but I love figuring out where shadows go for faces
– Working with just one pen, a brush pen and a waterbrush has made me consider darkest tones and highlights.
– One month creative challenges work best for me. After that I sort of lose my interest and it’s not as fun anymore.
– Inktober is best done with something you want to get better at, for me it’s drawing fashion figures originally but I realized I wanted to paint faces more.
– Doing this and knowing that a lot of people all over the globe are doing it too made it more enjoyable.
– Just start. Sometimes you are too tired to make one but just soldier on and when you’re actually doing it you’ll realize you just had to put pen to paper.
– There’s nothing wrong with starting over.

Mabuhay!

Hi! I'm Drea Dela Cruz, an artist/crafter from Manila, Philippines.

I love trying new things related to arts and crafts and experimenting with various materials.

I started this blog because I wanted to share my love for the DIY movement--I believe everyone has that artistic side that makes them unique and special and I support encouraging fellow makers. Keep on making things!

Aside from arts and crafts, I also enjoy reading books and magazines, playing with stray cats, traveling, and eating. I'd love to share my artsy-craftsy adventures and journey with you here!

If you wanna get in touch with me, kindly email: mabuhaydiy@gmail.com.